Texans for Prop 4

In this editorial, the editorial board is taking sides for the passage of Prop 4, the launch of seven public research universities to tier- one status. Tier – one status is the ranking of schools like The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M, and Rice University. These are the only three schools in Texas with tier-one status.


The editorial board makes a good claim on passing the funding for the seven schools to tier- one status. With the passing of the funding it would raise UT-Dallas, UT-Arlington, UT-El Paso, UT-San Antonio, Texas Tech University, the University of North Texas and the University of Houston to the level of UT Austin, A&M and Rice. The funding for the program is a lot, a mere $500 million. At first, the investment might seem like a lot. For example for just one school $100 million annual infusion of state and private financing. In the end, the passage of Prop 4 will be beneficial for a lot of people. If Prop 4 is passed it would help raise Texas to a more attractive place to go to school. Texas falls way behind states like California with nine and New York with seven. The editorial board is pushing this editorial towards future university students and parents of future college students. With the schools being accredited with the same status as the three other schools, parents and students are looking at not having to transfer from the feeder schools to the major universities.

With Prop 4 being passed it could, as predicted by M. Ray Perryman, help the Texas economy and bring as many as 340,000 jobs to the state. This is just with two schools being added to tier- one status. If the schools are added to tier- one status, it will be a good thing for Texas and most importantly students and future students. GO VOTE AND HELP PASS PROP 4!

Metro Rail Delayed

In this editorial, the author is commenting on the poor leadership from Fred Gilliam the CEO of Capital Metro. Fred Gilliam put the metro rail behind schedule and over budget. It is now said to not be ready until late next year. The author accuses Gilliam for the delays. He also for the first time raised the bus fare. The author is in the right about blaming Gilliam for the delays and over budgeting. I agree with what the editorial board has to say about Fred Gilliam. People are looking forward to using the Metro Rail out of convience and to save money instead of paying for gas. The metro rail is suppose to be 32 miles long, from Leander to downtown Austin. The lack of management, along with the delay and budget overruns also damaged the agency’s credibility. The author’s intended audience is the people hoping to use the metro rail on daily basis or use it often. It also is for the current bus users, since Fred Gilliam did raise the fares for the first time in 20 years. The editorial is written from the Editorial Board. The board also points out how Gilliam depleted the reserve fund for the metro rail from 200 million to only 3.8 million, below the cushion of 27 million. Gilliam is soon to be replaced, as he is retiring at the end of the month. The agency is on a nation wide search for an efficient CEO to run the bus system and the railroad. Hopefully to be able to complete the railroad and open it soon.